The World Happiness Report is out, and the unhappy younger generation wants to help more strangers

摄影:Yasemin Gunes

Not long ago, on the International Day of Happiness, the United Nations released the World Happiness Report 2024. For many, the past three years have been far from "happy". This year's report is known as the most comprehensive picture of cross-generational happiness in our time, summarizing and analyzing the research data of the three years from 2021 to 2023, which also allows us to examine how much our life and well-being have changed in the depth of the times in the three years of chaos and uncertainty.

The World Happiness Report, led by the United Nations, is based on data from Gallup in the United States, with a team from the University of Oxford analysing the results. In the latest 2024 report, people from 143 countries and territories were surveyed, and scholars from different fields processed data based on six variables, including social support, GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom of life choices, generosity, and corruption.

In this year's results, the Nordic countries are once again in the top 10, and Finland has ranked first for seven consecutive years. In contrast, the United States and Germany fell out of the top 20 for the first time in more than 20 years. In addition, this year, for the first time in the global ranking by age group, Denmark is the happiest country for people over 60 years old, and what is the happiest country for people under 30?

Swipe up to see more

2024 Top 20 happiest countries in the world

1. Finland (7.741)
2. Denmark (7.583)
3. Iceland (7.525)
4. Sweden (7.344)
5. Israel (7.341)
6. NETHERLANDS (7.319)
7. Norway (7.302)
8. Luxembourg (7.122)
9. Switzerland (7.060)
10. Australia (7.057)
11. New Zealand (7.029)
12. 哥斯达黎加 (6.955)
13. Kuwait (6.951)
14. Austria (6.905)
15. Canada (6.900)
16. Belgium (6.894)
17. Ireland (6.838)
18. Czech Republic (6.822)
19. Lithuania (6.818)
20. United Kingdom (6.749)

*The 2023 survey in Israel mainly took place before the war between Israel and Hamas, and the list is based on the average of the 2021-2023 three-year data, which is the main reason why Israel is still in fifth place.

01

Voted the happiest country in the world for 7 years in a row, and the Finns don't buy it?

图片: Julia Kivelä (visitfinland.com)

This year, Finland is the happiest country in the world for 7.741 with a score of 10 out of 10. The rest of the Nordic countries also performed well: Denmark was once again ranked 2nd, Iceland 3rd, Sweden 4th and Norway 7th. Why are Finns so happy? Alexander Stubb, who was elected as Finland's new president in February, gave his answer on the social media platform X – the natural environment, trust, education.

According to Visit Finland, fresh air, pristine water and forest trails are the source of daily happiness for many Finns. With more than 180,000 lakes and 3 million saunas in a country of 5 million people, every Finn can enjoy a relaxing time in the sauna and lake. At the same time, Finland has long been known for its low crime rate. In 2021, the American "Reader's Digest" conducted a global social integrity experiment - how many pedestrians will return their wallets when they see them on the street. Which city has returned the most wallets?

Interestingly, some Finnish people are completely unimpressed by the results. They point out that Finland is not necessarily the most livable country. In recent years, the country's economy has been sluggish, and Finns suffer from alcoholism and depression, and suicide rates have long been among the highest in the European Union. In addition, the Russian-Ukrainian war has not yet ended, and Finland, which borders Russia, is inevitably shrouded in insecurity. Whether Finland is happy or not, we can only say that there are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people.

02

The U.S. and Germany dropped out of the top 20 for the first time, hitting record lows

纽约时代广场，图片: Anthony Rosset

The most striking of the top 20 is the decline in the rankings of the United States and Germany, from 15th and 16th last year to 23rd and 24th respectively this year. While the decline in the rankings of the United States and Germany can be attributed to a positive increase in happiness in Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovenia at 18, 19 and 21 respectively). But the report also points out that the overall results are worrying that the life satisfaction of young people under the age of 30 in the United States has dropped sharply. This year, the U.S. ranked 62nd in the world for happiness among people under 30 (and 10th among people over 60).

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murty described the results as "a red flag that young Americans are really struggling." The report doesn't reveal the reasons behind the data, which the US media sees as social media addiction, income inequality, the housing crisis and climate change all have a significant impact on young people's well-being.

Vivek also stressed that allowing young people to use social media is like giving them drugs that have not yet been proven safe. He called for "immediate" legislation to reduce the harm of social media to young people, including limiting or eliminating features such as infinite scrolling.

03

In the happiest countries in Asia, middle-aged and elderly people are probably the happiest

摄影：Helmut Ignat (visitsingapore.com.cn)

Singapore is still ranked No. 1 in Asia for the second year in a row. The world's most expensive country in the Economist survey ranked 30th in the World Happiness Report, followed by Taiwan at 31st, Chinese mainland rose four places from last year to 60th, and Hong Kong at 86th.

According to the report, Singapore's GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy and government integrity are outstanding, especially the "perceived level of government and business corruption", which is even lower than that of Denmark and Norway. In the age group comparison, the middle-aged and elderly people aged 45 to 59 in Singapore have the highest life satisfaction. The 2022 Quality of Life Survey conducted by the National University of Singapore (NUS) in their home country also showed similar results: older married men with higher education had higher levels of happiness and fulfillment than other groups.

This may reflect Singapore's long-standing focus on caring for the elderly. Compared to many developed countries, Singapore faced a declining fertility rate and a severely ageing population at an early stage. The local government has been committed to keeping the country's seniors living meaningful and happy lives, including the S$3 billion Happy Ageing Programme in 2016.

04

Is life better or worse for people of different ages?

图片: Leah Newhouse

Among people under 30, Lithuania (19th overall) tops the list as the happiest country for young people, while Denmark (2nd overall) is popular among older people and ranks 1st in the world for people over 60. Globally, life satisfaction among 15- to 24-year-olds is higher than that of older adults, but this gap has reversed in North America.

Well-being declined across all age groups in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with the decline being most pronounced among young people. John Hayleywell, the report's editor-in-chief who has been researching well-being for 25 years, said in a media interview, "I have never seen such an extreme change. All this has happened in the last decade, and mostly in English-speaking countries. He believes that the unhappiness of these young people is partly due to the fact that the outside information they consume "makes them unhappy".

In contrast, the biggest improvements in well-being were in Central and Eastern European countries, where young people reported a significantly higher quality of life than older groups. This generational disparity is not surprising given the historical trauma that older people in countries such as Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro have endured in the aftermath of the war and the genocide that followed the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. On the other hand, in recent years, the technological and economic development of CEE countries has also provided more opportunities and life possibilities for young people.

05

Since the pandemic, people have become more willing to help strangers

图片: Mauro Lima

It's heartening to see that people of all ages have shown more kindness to strangers in the wake of the pandemic. The three acts of philanthropy covered in the Gallup World Poll: donations, volunteering, and helping strangers have all increased significantly from before the pandemic. In times of crisis, we seem to be more willing to help each other through difficult times.

Among them, those born after 1980, including millennials who are rated as self-centered, are actually more likely than their elders to release kindness. In the three philanthropic assessments, young people were the most likely to help strangers, while those born before 1965 were the least, which may partly reflect the fact that older people are less likely to go out. Younger generations give less frequently than other age groups, which may reflect their lower disposable income. The frequency of volunteering did not vary much between age groups.

Editor-in-chief John stated: "It's inspiring. Despite the fact that young people in some countries are not happy, they are still able and willing to act kindly for strangers. This gives you hope for the future. ”

06

Well-being at a young age is crucial, and improving well-being may help prevent Alzheimer's disease

: Other bennet

Data from 2021 to 2023 show that in about half of all countries surveyed, people over 60 are the happiest group in their countries, and most of the rest are in the middle and old age groups, and the happiest age group is between 45 and 60 years old. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that the global population aged 65 and over will double by 2050. At the same time, dementia cases are estimated to reach about 139 million. That's why this report devotes a full chapter to a comprehensive analysis of the link between well-being and dementia.

In particular, the report notes that for people with healthy cognitive abilities, higher well-being may improve memory and thinking skills and reduce the chance of developing dementia in the future. In people's youth and middle age, higher levels of well-being may help prevent or delay the onset of dementia, further improving well-being in later life. In old age, regular participation in social affairs, physical sports, intellectual activities, etc., is essential to maintain well-being and cognitive health in old age.

P.S. Ranking of the happiest countries by age group

Swipe up to see more

World Happiness Report 2024

Top 10 happiest countries for young people (under 30 years old).

1. Lithuania (7.759)
2. Israel (7.667)
3. Serbia (7.658)
4. Iceland (7.598)
5. Denmark(7.329)
6. Luxembourg (7.301)
7. Finland(7.300)
8. Romania (7.284)
9. Netherlands (7.248)
10. Czech Republic(7.198)

Swipe up to see more

World Happiness Report 2024

Top 10 happiest countries for seniors (60 years and older).

1. Denmark(7.916)
2. Finland(7.912)
3. Norway(7.660)
4. Sweden (7.588)
5. Iceland(7.585)
6. New Zealand (7.390)
7. Netherlands (7.360)
8. Canada (7.343)
9. Australia(7.304)
10. United States (7.258)

Full report content — worldhappiness.report

Edit — Luzy

撰文— Amber

Figure — Network